CALGARY – Powered by a ridiculous first-half shooting performance, the University of Calgary Dinos men's basketball team took down the Brandon Bobcats at the Jack Simpson Gymnasium on Friday night by a final score of 111-69.

Riding a four-game winning streak, the Dinos have become known for their strong offense, and this game was no exception. Calgary missed just two shots the entire first quarter and finished going 14-16 (87.5 percent) in the opening frame. That unconscious shooting performance continued to halftime, going 11-16 (68.8%) in the second to erupt for a 65-32 lead at the break.

The game started with an early Aidan Smith three pointer, sparking the Dinos' offense. Calgary quickly built a 10-point lead, followed by an impressive 24-7 run. Key contributions from Nate Petrone (10 points) and Dylan Lutes (8 points) helped the team hit an impressive 87.5% field goal percentage. By the end of the first quarter. The Dinos held a commanding 34-14 lead.

In the second quarter, Calgary continued to dominate, balloning the lead to 34 at one point in the frame. Several players, including Petrone, Lutes, Declan Peterson, Alan Spoonhunter, and Javier Ramos-Yzquierdo, shot perfectly from the field. The half ended with Noah Wharton sinking a buzzer-beater layup to seal the quarter and give the home squad a lopsided 65-32 lead at the break.

During the third, the Bobcats began to tweak their lineup with fresh legs including Luke Moreau, John Dayo, and later, Travis Hamberger, and their intensity grew. Despite a couple of crucial missed opportunities, Calgary maintained its composure and continued to build its lead, capitalizing on Brandon's turnovers and defensive lapses.

In the final stretch, Brandon's Darko Karac kicked off with a strong jumper that gave him nine points, but Calgary quickly answered back with Beckett Johnson hitting a three-pointer to give the Dinos their largest lead of the night at 44. Calgary saw significant minutes off the bench as they iced this one away, with no Dino seeing the court for more than 25 minutes in this one.

"We're really trying to dial in our defense before the playoffs," said Lutes. "But as of now, we're just looking ahead to tomorrow - we're ready to knock them down."

Both teams will meet again tomorrow at 8 p.m. at the Jack Simpson Gymnasium for the rematch.

-UC-